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September 4, 2024 25 mins

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Ever wondered how you can lose weight without grueling workouts or fad diets? Imagine shedding over 140 pounds by simply embracing a balanced lifestyle. On this episode of "Shut Up and Choose," I, Jonathan Ressler, share my personal journey of transformation and show you how living fully, loving food without guilt, and making mindful choices can revolutionize your relationship with food and your body. Hear from inspiring listeners like Stacy and Mark, whose lives have been transformed by this approach, proving that small, smart choices can lead to significant, lasting changes.

Join us as we explore the mantra "live life, love food, lose weight," and understand how pursuing passions and fostering relationships pave the way to natural weight loss. We'll dive into the importance of identifying your "why" and connecting it to meaningful aspects of your life, like health, family, or personal growth. With tips on finding joy, practicing gratitude, and eliminating energy-draining habits, this episode is your guide to achieving long-term success by focusing on happiness and mindfulness. Get ready to choose your way to a healthier, happier life!

Get my video course Live Life- Love Food - Lose Weight Get it Here

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:02):
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through

(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking

(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Hey, welcome back to Shut Upand Choose the podcast that cuts
through the noise of all thosefat diets, quick fixes and all
those other unrealistic weightloss promises out there all the
bullshit that you hear about howyou're going to lose all this
weight.
I'm your host, jonathan Reston.

(01:29):
I'm here to share the brutallyhonest truth about achieving
sustainable weight loss.
As you know, I lost over 140pounds with no diet, no exercise
, none of the fads, gimmicks orany of that crap.
I just figured out a way toembrace a balanced and healthy
lifestyle, and here I am.
So last week, I said that I wasgoing to read a couple emails

(01:53):
because I'm just touched by them.
To be honest, I'm thrilled thatI'm changing lives, so let me
read you one email before we getinto the main topic today.
So here's the first one.
Hi, jonathan, I just had toreach out and share how much
your book has impacted me.
Since I started practicingmindful eating, my relationship
with food has completely changed.

(02:14):
I'm no longer stressing aboutdiets or feeling like I'm
constantly battling with myweight.
Instead, I'm listening to mybody, enjoying my meals and
living life without guilt.
The changes have beenincredible, not just in how I
look, but in how I feel everyday.
I can't thank you enough forhelping me find this freedom.
By the way, I'm down 22 poundsso far and still going strong,

(02:36):
stacy Wow, that's intense.
Here's the second one I want toread to you.
Sorry, jonathan, I've been onevery diet imaginable low-carb
juice, cleanses, you name it.
So I was skeptical when Istarted reading Shut Up and
Choose.
I didn't believe that makingsmall, smart choices could
really make a difference afterall my failed attempts.
But your approach changedeverything for me.

(02:56):
As I started implementing youradvice, I noticed that my
choices began to shift naturally.
The pressure and stress I usedto feel are gone and for the
first time, I'm seeing real,sustainable progress.
I'm so grateful for the newpath your book has shown me.
Mark G God man that is.
I love eating donuts and I loveeating stuff that diet coaches

(03:16):
say is bad for you, but I got totell you, reading emails like
that feeds my soul.
I love the fact that I'mhelping people.
I love my journey and I lovethat I'm able to help people on
their own journey.
I mean that, wow, it's all Ican say.
I'm really thank you guys forwriting in.
I really appreciate it.
There's a bunch more, but youget the idea I'm really changing

(03:37):
lives here and that's reallykind of exciting and fun for me.
As much as I love the weightthat I lost, I love the fact
that I'm helping people.
So thank you for letting mehelp you.
Okay, so moving on to the maintopic of the podcast, today I'm
going to talk about why livinglife is.
Probably my slogan is live life, love food, lose weight but why
living life is probably themost important piece to that

(03:59):
puzzle.
Because I believe if you don'tlive life, you can't do the next
two In this world, in today'ssociety, like weight loss is
often seen as a simple equationof diet and exercise.
But that narrow focus ignoresthe fundamental truth, which is
to achieve lasting success, youhave to first embrace living
life fully.
So in my philosophy, it's notjust a step in the process.

(04:21):
Living is at the veryfoundation.
Without truly living life,you'll struggle to build a
positive relationship with foodand to ever reach that weight
loss goal.
So today let's look at why thefirst part is so critical on

(04:42):
your weight loss journey.
In case you didn't listen lastweek, my new philosophy is live
life, love food and lose weight.
So let me tell you real quicklywhat those three things mean.
So, live life.
It's about embracing everyaspect of your life, so pursuing
your passions, buildingrelationships, just basically
finding joy and happiness ineverything you do every day.
It's about living in the moment, not waiting to achieve a
certain weight before you startto live your life.

(05:03):
So the second part is love food.
You know what that means.
Obviously, love the food.
It's about building a healthyrelationship with food.
It's about savoring the mealsthat you're eating, enjoying
everything that you're eatingand eliminating that guilt that
comes with the diet industrytelling you you have to be
careful what you eat and loseweight.
Of course, that's really whatwe're all here for, but I think
when you fully love your foodand you fully live your life,

(05:26):
weight loss is just a naturalbyproduct, and it's not
shouldn't be about strict dietsand fucking hours in the gym.
It's about making small, smartchoices that align with your
desire for a healthier life.
And we're going to talk aboutdesire in a little bit, but
right now let's talk about whyliving life is really the
foundation of weight loss andwhy it's so critical.

(05:47):
So, when you're engaged inactivities and things that bring
you joy and bring youfulfillment.
You're living a fulfilled life,weight loss really becomes a
secondary outcome.
It did for me.
I focused on living my life.
Of course I wanted to loseweight.
But when you focus on reallyliving a full life, enjoying
your hobbies, hanging out withfriends, just basically finding

(06:08):
happiness every day, younaturally adopt these behaviors
that support your overall health.
You stop turning to food forcomfort, which I certainly did,
or out of boredom, which Idefinitely did, because you're
already fulfilled in a bunch ofother areas of your life.
So the food kind of becomessecondary.

(06:29):
I also think that when you findhappiness, that's really a key
factor in weight loss, and I'mnot going to get into the
medical bullshit.
But when you're happy, yourbody produces less cortisol.
You know that's a stresshormone that leads to weight
gain, belly fat, shit like that.
So I don't know.
I'm not saying that if you'rereally stressed out you're going
to balloon up You're not.
But cortisol is definitely notgood for you on a weight loss

(06:52):
journey.
I'm not saying your body'sgoing to release so much
cortisol you're going to go from200 to 400 pounds.
No, that's not the case.
But on the other hand, sostress and unhappiness
definitely leads to emotionaleating and poor food choices.
So for that reason, being happyis really important.
So by prioritizing living yourlife and really trying to be

(07:13):
happy, you create thisenvironment that basically
supports your weight loss.
And when you're living that wayand you're happy and you're
living a full life, you justnaturally prioritize your health
.
You begin to see exercise andthis took me a while but you
begin to see exercise and thistook me a while but you begin to
see exercise not really as apunishment but as a way to feel
good and have more energy.
And you start to approach yourbody and appreciate your body

(07:35):
for what it can do rather thanjust how it looks.
So I think that little shift itdid for me and, like I said,
I've only been exercising for afew months now.
I lost a lot of the weightwithout exercising, but that
shift where exercise becamesomething I enjoyed definitely
makes it easier for me to adoptand maintain the healthy habits
that I built up over the lastyear and a half.

(07:59):
Now a really big one for me isthat most people will say
motivation is really the key toweight loss or willpower is the
key to weight loss, but thetruth is it's actually desire
that drives long-term success.
Motivation can fluctuate, but adeep desire, like rooted in
something that's so important toyou that you commit to living

(08:21):
it that fuels constant actionand resilience.
So when you desire a healthierlife and again that was my why
my initial why was to live, butnow my why is to lead a
healthier life, because I wantto enjoy my time on the planet,
because everybody only getslimited time.
I know that's no revelation toanybody, but you get to live
your life and pursue yourpassions and feel your best

(08:42):
every day.
You're more likely to make thelasting changes and stick with
them.
So that's a really powerful one.
Desire is really powerful, andthat's why I believe that living
life fully, really living life,is the cornerstone to
successful weight loss.
It was for me and I believe itcan be for everybody else.

(09:02):
But when I started thinkingabout it, like, how do you live
that life more fully?
Well, here's some stuff that Ireflected on that I really, you
know, had to figure out whatthese things were.
How was I going to live my lifea little better?
So number one is definitely youhave to identify and figure out
what brings you joy right.
So find those activities, thepeople, the experiences,

(09:25):
whatever it is that bring youjoy.
It could be painting or hiking,reading, spending time with
your family.
That's an easy one.
Make those things a priority inyour life, because when you're
engaged in activities that makeyou happy, you're less likely to
seek comfort in food.
Those happy and joyfulactivities also reduce stress,

(09:45):
which is definitely a commontrigger for emotional eating.
So really try to surroundyourself with stuff that makes
you happy.
Some of the things that you cando is I do practice gratitude
every day, but write down one ortwo things that bring you joy
and make sure that you make timefor those things every day,
whatever they may be.
I also think it's reallyimportant to reduce or eliminate

(10:07):
shit that drains your energyright, like those people that
fucking bring you down or thingsthat bring you down.
Focus on the stuff that reallymatters to you.
Another thing that I did which Iguess if you read my book I
hide it, I avoided, I hide it.
Wow, I can't even speak Englishanymore.
I hid, I hide it, I avoid it, Ihide it.
Wow, I can't even speak Englishanymore.
I hid, I didn't.
I avoided certain socialsituations because of the way I

(10:29):
looked and felt, but I thinkit's really important to have to
build some strong relationships.
While you're on this journey orwhile you're doing this thing,
spend time with people thatreally uplift and support you
and who bring positivity intoyour life.
We all have those one or twofucking naysayers and no matter
what you tell them, they alwaystell you why you're wrong or why
it's not going to work, or whythere's a problem or how they

(10:50):
did it.
Fuck them.
Get those motherfuckers out ofyour life and be around people,
because loneliness definitelyleads to emotional eating and a
lack of motivation, which Idon't care about, but a lack of
desire.
Those positive relationshipsprovide you with encouragement
and they help you keep on track.
I know when I was sitting homealone on a friday or saturday

(11:11):
night because I was feelingsorry for myself, I would
fucking find something to eat.
I always think, oh yeah, I'mhungry, I'm hungry, so I would
eat something.
So definitely make some.
Build your relationships orhang out with people that you
like and talk to people that youlike, because that I really
believe that gives you a leg up.
I definitely now again, neverdid, but now exercise is

(11:33):
definitely something important.
You should find shit that youenjoy.
Like I said, it could beswimming or dancing or yoga or
anything that you enjoy,whatever it is that you're going
to do.
That's important to do becausewhen you enjoy, whatever it is
that you're going to do, that'simportant to do because when you
enjoy your physical activity,whatever it is like for me, I
look forward to my morning walkevery morning.
So when you enjoy that physicalactivity, it just becomes

(11:55):
natural that consistency reallysupports your weight loss goals.
It helps you to stay on track.
So I say try different shituntil you find out one that
really excites you and then doit.
Like I don't remember what wasthe movie Stars, keep in Touch,
do it.
Do it Jack and Coke.
Do it.
No, jack and Coke should not bethe activity that excites you,
although it can be fun.

(12:18):
Definitely, practice mindfulnessand gratitude.
Okay, mindfulness helps you tobe present.
I say you always have to bepresent every time you open your
mouth, but gratitude shiftsyour focus to the positive
aspects of your life.
You may feel like a big lump ofshit, like I did at 411 pounds
and laying around saying my lifefucking sucks.
And the truth, as you know, ifyou read my book.
There was a time when I waslaying in that hospital bed and

(12:40):
I was just ready to die.
I was ready to pack it in andjust basically be done.
So when you have gratitude andyou're present, those two things
foster a positive mindset, andthat again supports weight loss.
Again, on the mindful eatingside, slow down and think about
what you're eating.
Every time you open your mouth,you have to pay attention to

(13:01):
what you're eating and payattention to your fullness cues.
And I, like I said, I dopractice gratitude.
Every morning I sit down and Itry to do it for longer, but it
usually is two or three minutes.
I think about all the thingsthat I'm grateful for in my life
.
There's a lot of things thatI'd like to have and there's a
lot of things that I don't have,but you know what?
I also have a lot of thingsthat I'm grateful for, those for

(13:23):
my family, for my friends, foryou.
Believe me, when you sit downand think about all the things
you're grateful for your life,your day will start out better
and you will be able to staymore focused on your weight loss
journey.
This one's a big one.
I touched on it last week.
Definitely you have to stopwaiting to live, right?
One of the biggest obstacles inliving life fully is the

(13:46):
mindset is that you have to losethe weight and then you can
start enjoying life.
And don't fall into that trap,because that's a bunch of shit.
Waiting to live until you reachthat certain that goal.
Weight leads to all thefeelings of a diet right, like
deprivation, frustration, andthat shit's gonna sabotage your
weight loss effort.
So definitely do not wait.

(14:07):
Start living your life now.
Start enjoying your life rightnow, not waiting for a number on
the scale.
And you can do that by focusingon goals that really enhance
your life beyond weight loss.
All right, if you.
For me, I should have walked,but I I think it's an excuse.
I said I couldn't walk, but youknow, find things that focus on
those little small victoriesthat happen every day.

(14:29):
Hey, I didn't eat that extrafork full, or no, I didn't have
cake for dessert.
So find those things that youknow that you're doing well with
and really focus on thosethings.
So acknowledge your strengthsand unique qualities, regardless
of your weight.
Yeah, I talked about motivationfor a second, but I really want
to dive a little bit deeperinto that, because motivation

(14:50):
often gets a spotlight when itcomes to a weight loss journey,
but the truth is it's desirethat really drives that
long-term success.
So motivation comes and goes, itcan be fleeting, it can be
influenced by external factors,other people, whatever, but
desire is a deep-rooted feelingthat comes from deep inside your
body, and desire is is so muchmore powerful than motivation on

(15:14):
your weight loss journey.
So desire is tied to your corevalue.
Your core values, your beliefsand your long-term goals.
Right, I always talk aboutfinding your why.
Figure out why you want to losethis weight, and that's the
personal drive that keeps youfocused on what's really
important.
It's that deep, intrinsicdesire for weight loss, but it's

(15:36):
rooted in your love for lifeand your commitment to living it
fully.
Yes, I wanted to lose weight,but I wanted to be healthier and
I wanted to be able to do allthose things, and losing weight
was just a byproduct.
So having that why and thatdesire really pushes you forward
when your motivation goes outthe window.
I talked about identifying yourwhy, and that's a really

(15:58):
important piece.
You have to figure out why youwant to lose weight.
Connect it to somethingmeaningful Again, for me it was
health, or your family orpersonal growth, whatever it is.
You have to figure out whatthat why is it's not a number on
the scale and then imagine yourlife after you achieve those
weight loss goals.
After you achieve that goal.

(16:19):
That vision really strengthensyour desire.
It helps you to get to thatplace.
So create a really powerful why.
And another thing desire does isit fuels consistency right, and
consistency is absolutely thekey to long-term weight loss.
And desire fuels thatconsistency right and
consistency is absolutely thekey to long-term weight loss.
And desire fuels thatconsistency right.

(16:40):
Unlike motivation, which comesand goes, desire keeps you on
track every single day.
Desire drives you to makeconsistent, small choices that
support your goals, even on dayswhen your motivation is low or
not even there.
So I like to develop thosesmall daily rituals.
For me they're crazy ritual,right, but I knew that if I ate

(17:01):
overnight oats that I made thenight before, if I started out
eating that in the morning, Iwas going to be on track.
If I went out and had a bagelor something like that, I was
going way off track.
So find those little things andthen celebrate those small wins
and focus on the consistentprogress rather than the
perfection.
Desire also helps you navigatechallenges when they come up,

(17:23):
because they're going to come up.
Obstacles come up, twists andturns all over the journey, but
desire pushes you to find thesolution and keep moving forward
.
I always tell you, a weightloss journey is ugly.
It's not smooth, it's notpretty, it's bumpy and lumpy and
all just ugly.
But desire helps you stayresilient, right.
It helps you stay focused evenin the face of those setbacks.

(17:46):
And when you have a fuck upwhich you're going to have,
because everybody does use it asan opportunity to strengthen
your commitment to your goalright, those obstacles are just
temporary.
There's just one small badchoice you ate ice cream, you
ate candy, you ate whatever itis.
It was just one small badchoice.
Another thing that desire didfor me was it really empowered

(18:06):
me to take control of my weightloss journey, right.
So instead of relying on someexternal motivation, I was
driven by this deep desire tolose the weight because I wanted
to be healthier, I wanted tolive.
That was why.
That was how I lost the weight,that empowered me, that put me

(18:29):
in the driver's seat and led tothis sustainable, long-term
success.
I know this is going to be ashocker to many of you, but you
know the way that you do, that.
The way you become empowered isbe accountable, right,
recognize that your weight lossjourney is yours and yours alone
.
You're responsible for thechoices.
You're responsible for all yourpast choices and all the
choices you're going to make inthe future.

(18:49):
So, every day, try to makethose choices, those small,
smart choices that align withyour desire for a healthier life
, and think about, think back onthe day.
How did I do today?
Because you have to celebratethe successes.
So, in the end, I think thatliving life fully and having
that desire is the criticalfoundation of your weight loss
journey.

(19:09):
It's not just a step in theprogress, it's the key that
unlocks all the other steps.
So when you embrace life andyou really are committed to
living the life and doing thethings that you love to do, and
you're practicing mindfulnessand you're grateful and you're
living in the present, you justnaturally cultivate a deep

(19:30):
desire to achieve your weightloss goals.
And that desire is what fuelsconsistency and empowerment,
making it the most powerfulforce in your journey.
So stop, I'm telling you rightnow.
Stop waiting to live.
Stop saying, oh, I'm going to,I'm really going to start.
I'm going to have a great lifewhen I lose all this weight.
No, that's a crock of shit.
No, start having a great liferight now.

(19:51):
Yes, you may have some physicallimitations because you're so
fat you can't walk, which iswhere I was, so I'm comfortable
saying that.
But start living your liferight now and you'll be shocked
at how the weight starts to comeoff, not because you're forcing
it, but because you're finallyliving in a way that supports

(20:12):
your health and happiness.
You can't lose weight whenyou're not happy.
Period, you got to be happy.
So when you live life fully,you don't just lose the weight
that's a byproduct but youactually gain a life that you
love.
And right now I can tell youI'm living my best life.
I love where I am in this timeand space.

(20:34):
Do I want more things and other?
Of course we all do.
We always want more.
I think I would like to havemore of this and more of that,
and I'd like to be.
I would like to be fitter and Iwould like to be thinner and
I'd like to be all those things.
But you know what?
I'm really, really happy with?
Where I am right now, and Iknow that I'm going.
I'm moving day by day, and Iknow that I'm going.

(20:55):
I'm moving day by day.
I'm moving closer to my goal ofbeing healthier and more fit
and all those things.
And if you ask me, what weightdo you want to get to?
I have no fucking idea, nor doI give a shit.
Okay, I don't care, I'm justgoing to keep going until I feel
like I'm as healthy and ashappy as I can possibly be.
And the weight loss I promiseyou is just a side effect.

(21:19):
It's just a byproduct of livinga happy life.
So that wraps up my part one oflive life, love food, lose
weight and why living life is soimportant.
I promise you, if you'refucking miserable on your diet,
on your keto diet or your paleodiet or your Atkins or South

(21:39):
Beach or I don't know there's somany fucking diets out there,
it's ridiculous If you'reunhappy on that diet, you're not
going to lose the weight,you're not living your life.
If you're not going out, ifyou're not doing the shit that
you need to do to live your life, you're not going to lose the
weight.
And if you do, it's not goingto lose the weight.
And if you do, it's not goingto be sustainable.
So live your life.
Don't wait to live your life.

(21:59):
Live it right now.
Nothing is promised, right?
So live your life right now andI promise you that you will
start to see the weight come offnaturally.
So that's it for today.
Next week, I'm going to talk alittle bit about why it's
important to love the foodyou're eating.
That should be pretty obvious,right?
If your food tastes like dogshit, you don't want to eat it.

(22:21):
And then the last thing is I'lltalk about how the weight comes
off.
That'll be probably part three,but that's it for today.
So again, for those of you thatbought my book or sent me a
review or an email or whatever,thank you so much.
For those of you that haven'tbought it yet, what the hell are
you waiting for?
It's great.
I love it.
I had fun writing it.
It's changing lives, which isprobably the most exciting part

(22:45):
of this whole thing.
If you know people that need akick in the ass, you know what
this is two podcasts in a rowwhere I haven't been nasty.
I got to change that.
I haven't been sarcastic, Ihaven't been, you know, I
haven't.
Well, I've used some foullanguage, right, yeah, all right
, so that's okay, but I just Ihaven't really told you that
you're fat, so listen, you'refucking fat.

(23:08):
Just because I needed to saythat once in the podcast.
I think it's important, butreally, if you know people that
need a kick in the ass, tellthem to listen to my podcast.
I know, like I said, I know I'mharsh, but the shit that I'm
telling you is the real truth.
It's unfiltered.
It's what worked for me.
I'm living, walking, breathingproof that you can do this
without any fad diets, withoutthe gym, without any crazy shots

(23:32):
or pills or surgeries or any ofthat shit.
You can do this.
Anybody can do this.
It's about making small, smartchoices.
It's about making up your mindand understanding why you want
to lose the weight.
This is doable for anybody.
I don't care about your specialdisease or any of that.
You can do this.
I don't care about your genesthat your parents were fat you

(23:54):
can do this.
I don't care about that.
It's hard to lose weight?
No, it's not.
It's fucking easy.
So you can do this.
It's all about one thing it'sabout making small, smart
choices every day.
So, with that being said, Iguess all I really have left to
say is shut up and choose,you've been listening to shut up

(24:16):
and choose.

Speaker 1 (24:17):
Jonathan's passion is to share.
Shut Up and Choose no fuckingJim, and guess what?
You can do it too.
We hope you enjoyed the show.

(24:38):
We had a fucking blast.
If you did, make sure to like,rate and review, we'll be back
soon, but in the meantime, findJonathan on Instagram at
JonathanWrestlerBocaRaton.
Until next time, shut up andchoose.
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